Influence of cataract surgery on progression of lens opacities in the fellow eye

Objective: To evaluate whether, in the Italian-American natural history stu dy, cataract surgery in one eye influences the incidence/progression rate o f lens opacities in the fellow eye. Design: Follow-up study of age-related cataract. Participants: A total of 1399 participants with age-related cataracts were regularly followed for 5 years and cataract status evaluated by the Lens Op acities Classification System II on slit-lamp and retroillumination lens ph otographs. A total of 228 participants had cataract surgery in 1 eye during the study period, and 192 had sufficient follow-up visits to be included i n the analysis. Main Outcome Measure: The incidence/progression of cataract was defined as two or more consecutive visits with a severity grade greater than the basel ine grade. Results: When entered into a Cox model, incidence/progression of specific c ataract types was not associated with cataract surgery on the fellow eye an d was not significantly different from that observed in participants who ha d no cataract surgery. Conclusions: Cataract extraction does not influence incidence/progression r ate of specific lens opacities in the fellow eye.